


Sentiment

by Zekkass



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-21
Updated: 2012-12-21
Packaged: 2017-11-21 20:32:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/601778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zekkass/pseuds/Zekkass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain America can bake, already has what he wants for Christmas, and it's a good thing Bucky knows him so well, or else he'd be up a creek without a paddle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sentiment

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for ciaimpala for the [holiday exchange over at the steve/bucky comm on LJ](http://steve-bucky.livejournal.com/tag/%21holiday%20exchange).
> 
> It's set in an optimistic post-Winter Soldier 'verse where I've skipped over the recovery of Bucky and gone straight for the Christmas-y fluff later on. Other, better fics have tackled that aspect, see.
> 
> Merry Christmas, and I hope you enjoy it!

"Steve, quit staring at the lights and get back at bed."

Steve just looks at him, all ruffled and sleepy and armed with a mug of some warm drink (it's probably hot cider, and he's probably going to refuse to share, the jerk) and he draws a star on the window, traces it on the precipitation and Bucky rolls his eyes. "Sap."

"I like having Christmas lights up, Buck," Steve says, and he finally finally finally sits back on the bed, lets Bucky plaster himself to Steve's warm side.

"Sap," Bucky repeats, and closes his eyes.

"Merry Christmas to you too," Steve says with affection in his tone, and Bucky lets him get away with petting his hair, with caring as much as he does.

\--

"Captain America can bake? Stop the presses!" Bucky grins as he peeks into the oven along with Steve, taking in the sight of one perfect (if still uncooked) cherry pie. "My name is on one of those slices."

Steve chuckles as he closes the oven, adjusting the heat after wiping his hands on one of the Christmas-themed towels hanging on the handle. "It won't be ready for a while, Bucky."

"I can wait," Bucky says, eyes on the oven.

"Then you can watch it while I start the next one," Steve declares, and it's ridiculous that Bucky should give into him while he's wearing an apron and getting his hands white with flour dusting, but that's what Bucky's life is now.

"It'll be perfect, Steve," Bucky says, and he steals a chair and sits on it backwards, watching both the oven and Steve. "What's the occasion, anyways?"

He knows without asking that it's probably for a Christmas-related _something_.

"The Christmas Eve party Stark's hosting," Steve says as he stretches out the pie shell, fitting it into the glass container. "Which you are going to."

"I am?"

"Of course you are, Bucky."

"Huh," Bucky says, and it's a thoughtful silence that he falls into. It's not until Steve gets flour on his forehead that he speaks again. "Formal occasion?"

"We'll need to wear suits," Steve confirms, which is something Bucky can get behind, visions of Steve in a sharp dark blue suit dancing across his mind's eye.

\--

It's not their first Christmas together (years of those from childhood on, with gifts when they could scrounge up the money for, or gifts handmade - Bucky still wishes he had the drawings Steve did for him, sometimes, when he's sentimental) and they both remember the Christmas with the Commandos, drunk on HYDRA hooch in a half-destroyed church somewhere, singing messy carols and sharing chocolates - Steve had taken watch while they'd all slept off the drink, torn between affection and irritation at them all for making him take watch the _whole_ night, but he hadn't the heart in him to shake anyone's shoulder and make them take a few hours. Not that night.

So they've had Christmases together, and apart - Steve thinks of the first time he had Christmas in the future, how Stark had roped the Avengers into reuniting not for a world-spanning disaster but for drinks and good cheer in the newly named Avengers Tower, and it'd taken a while to break the ice (so to speak), but to Steve's surprise the party had been genuine, something he hadn't expected, between the host and the guests, and he treasures that memory. (Bucky's expression when he finally heard the story from Steve had been longing, and Steve still hasn't asked where he was that day.)

It's not a first to celebrate Christmas together, and it's not a first to celebrate Christmas with company, and it's corny to think so, but it's special, to give gifts and clink glasses and sing carols with company and there's not a worry but instead mistletoe hanging over their heads.

\--

The mistletoe is of course Stark's fault.

"Not that corner," Clint says seconds too late, and Bucky looks up with growing dread - it's an innocent looking sprig of greenery, and when he looks at Steve, (who is exactly as dashing in his suit as Bucky had hoped he would be) he's got his head tilted back with a vaguely panicked expression.

Yes, yes they _know_ they can kiss if they want, that this new century is open in too many ways to count, but it's never been something he's been willing to discuss with Steve, if they want what they have to be out in the open.

"Go for it, Cap!" Tony calls, raising his eggnog to them, and Bucky thinks of the route to Tony's bedroom, of how easy it would be for him to slip through his defenses while he's asleep, and maybe some hint of his thoughts show on his face, because Steve kisses him all of a sudden.

It's enough to distract him from thoughts of murdering Stark in his sleep, and he makes an aborted motion to grip the back of Steve's neck, and then Steve's stepping back, red in the face.

"Let's get more pie," he suggests, and Bucky takes the hint gladly, ignoring the other Avengers and assorted company as he goes for more of Steve's pie.

It's the first time they've kissed during Christmas, and the second time Bucky's been caught under mistletoe. (The first time he's been caught under it with someone he wanted to kiss.)

"I hope that was okay," Steve says in an undertone later, when Bucky's finishing off his pie and when Steve's got eggnog in his hand. They're in a different corner now, a private one without mistletoe hanging in it.

"You wanted to do it," Bucky says, not quite a question, and takes a yes from how Steve colors under his gaze. "It was, Steve. Relax."

Steve hesitates, then nods, and there's the smile Bucky was waiting for - he waits for the moment when Steve's had a mouthful of eggnog to chase it up with: "Maybe we can get caught under it on New Year's."

There's the full-on blush he wanted, along with Steve choking on his eggnog as he struggles not to spit it out. Bucky's grin is a toothy one at the sight, and he makes no apologies for it.

" _Bucky_ ," Steve says, more fond than exasperated, and Bucky winks at him before taking off for more of the refreshments.

\--

Bucky's picked up a goofy santa hat between the mistletoe and the end of the party, and he's still got it on as they make their way home, flush bright on his cheeks from the eggnog, and Steve barely gets inside before Bucky slots an arm around his neck and drags him down into a messy, happy kiss.

"Quit lookin' so sentimental," Bucky tells him, and Steve decides it's the right time, even if the sun isn't up on their Christmas morning yet.

"I've got a gift for you," Steve says, and ignores the rude comment from Bucky, pulling him into their living room, pushing him to sit on the couch. "Wait here."

"With bells on!"

Steve steps out and brings a folder back, carrying it gingerly before handing it to Bucky. His eyes are clear, and the white puff on the santa hat falls down over his face as he opens it, causing Steve to pluck the hat from his head, intent on watching Bucky's expression.

Inside the folder are old, brittle pages that Steve had been shocked to discover still existed, old drawings he'd had to buy for an exorbitant amount of money, and Bucky probably doesn't even remember them, and he sits next to Bucky, trying not to feel insecure about the old sketches - he's gotten better by now, loads better, even with the war interrupting his art career.

"How'd you find these?" Bucky asks, carefully looking through the drawings, and Steve isn't sure of what he's seeing on Bucky's face.

"Stark," Steve says, and Bucky nods knowingly, closing the folder. Steve holds out the hat. "Merry Christmas."

"Can't believe you found those," Bucky says, and the hat goes to the floor as Bucky knocks it out of the way to hug him, then kiss him, and Steve feels the tension run out of him as he kisses back. It was the right gift.

He tastes like eggnog and rum, and like himself, and Steve grins at him, grateful for so much this season.

"Does this mean I have to give you your gift now, or can we go straight to bed?" Bucky asks, arms around Steve's neck.

"Whenever you want to give it to me, Bucky," Steve says, but he's thinking that Bucky being here is already the only gift he's wanted.

"Better do it now, so I can sleep in," Bucky decides, and Steve just shakes his head at him.

"Don't do it for that."

"Relax," Bucky says, and he pulls out of Steve's hold, vanishing into another room. Steve reaches down to pick up the santa hat and put it on as he waits, smiling sheepishly at the thought of what he must look like.

Bucky comes back in carrying a wrapped box, not too big, and when Steve tears back the wrapping he reveals what must be a camera - it says so, on the box, and when Steve opens that up, it is a camera, a modern one that he will read the manual for, and all he can think is that as much as he will use it, Bucky's going to wind up on both ends of the camera.

When he points the lens of the camera at Bucky, he gets an indulgent smile and he knows: if he's going to photograph Bucky he'll have to be discreet about it, the way he can be discreet about drawing him.

"I like it," Steve says, taking the shot as Bucky's expression flickers to show relief, and he grins at Bucky's following scowl. "You knew the risk when you bought me the camera, Bucky."

"Yeah, yeah," Bucky gestures towards the bedroom. "Merry Christmas, can we go to bed?"

Steve would laugh, he would, but he takes another photograph and turns the camera off, setting it with his drawings and getting up. "I'm coming, Bucky."

He drops the santa hat next to the gifts, leaving it behind to join Bucky in bed.


End file.
